1981–1983

(3)

A. University of Pennsylvania Museum Excavation (1935-1941, 1945-1953)

McFadden came upon the Archaic Precinct in 1935 as he excavated the street leading to the Temple of Apollo (Fig. 1). He discolosed a semi-circle of stones (altar 1) within which was a rough foundation with part of a terra-cotta chariot group on top. McFadden excavated the area in two meter sections and defined two discrete stratigraphic layers. In the upper, which included surface soil he found bronzes and coins of archaic to Roman date. In the second, lower layer he noted a separation into burned and non-burned areas. The quantity of early terracotta fragments told him this was the Archaic Precinct.

After McFadden's death, his colleagues John and Suzanne Young published the terracotta figurines from the precinct (as well as those from a votive deposit found outside the precinct), using McFadden's notes to plot the location of each piece (John and Suzanne Young, Terracotta Figurines from Kourion in Cyprus, Philadelphia, 1955). They found many joins between fragments from different squares, and even different levels and concluded that the excavated area was a fill.

No further excavation was carried out in the precinct. Robert Scranton in his study of the site, identified a circular rubble altar with a rough low rail fence that enclosed the altar (altar 2). He also noted a rough line of stones to the south which he suggests may be the foundations for a line of stones running north of the altar, aligned with the east wall of the later Central Court. He suggests that this might be the edge of a terrace dividing the Sanctuary into two parts, private and public areas. Faint traces of a robbed out wall line running southwest from the altar are postulated as a gate or dividing wall. He drew no conclusions about cult.